Apparatus for forming can bodies



Oct' 10 1939' F, L. DARLING A PPRATUS FOR FORMING CAN-BODIES Filed Deo. 16, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet Oct. 10, 1939. F. L. DARLING' APPARATUS FOR FORMING CAN BODIES Filed Dec. le, 19:56 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Oct. 10, 1939 75,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,175,746 APPARATUS FOR FORM'ING CAN BODIES Frank L. Darling, Teaneck, N. J., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Crown Can Company, Philadelphia., Pa., a corporation of Pennsyl- Vania Application December 16, 1936, Serial No. 116,211 21 Claims. (Cl. 153-32) The principal object of the present invention is the horn with pivoted Wings, the formed body is to provide a method and apparatus for forming not of true contour, but is characterized by iat can bodies of oval contour. other than cylindrical shape, such as oval bodies, 5 The invention is adapted to form a can body as shown in Figures 5 and 6 Bodies of this type to true contour after the circumferential dimenare diicult to form to true contour, as their sion of the body has been determined by engagcurvature is not uniform but 1s continuously ing and locking the edges of the body blank into changing at every point around the body Refer- N a side seam, and before the ends of the can have ring to Figure 6 it will be noted that 1n hor- 10 been attached thereto. zontal cross section the can body which has been Another object of the invention is to provide a formed and side seamed on a horn, is made up method and apparatus for forming a can into of a plurality of substantially tangential aieas true body contour, by expanding the body out-` or panels, rather than being of true curvature at wardly against the walls of a can body mold, every point. Without the necessity of providing a Huid-tight; In the practice of the present invention, a can mold. body blank which has been formed and side Another object of the invention is to provide a seamed on a horn, is expanded against the walls can ody forming machine which will operate of a mold of true body contour by a confined body successively upon a series of formed can body of uid under pressure disposed within the can 20 While the present invention may be used most then seamed to the can, after which the can is advantageously in connection with the forming illed and a top is seamed thereto, providing a ing a can body of oval or elliptical contour, cans in shadows which detract from the beauty of 3 the package. 30

vention. cumferential dimension of the can body. While 35 Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal cross secthe molds of the machine disclosed are oval in tional view of the can body mold sections, taken shape, to form oval can bodies, it is obvious that along the line 2 2 of Figure 1. molds of dierent contour may be provided to Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of a portion form other types of can bodies. of the machine of the present invention. In Figure 1, the frame of the machine is shown 40 Figure 4 is a front elevational View of the at IU, said frame including a suitable base xed machine, showing the plurality of can body molds to the oor. The frame comprises an upstanding mounted upon the revolving disc. pedestal having a horizontal bore l2 there- Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a can body through, providing a bearing for a horizontal roblank before being operated upon by the maytatable hollow shaft i4, which carries the can 45 chine of the present invention, and body mold support or disc hereinafter described.

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view of the Disposed within the hollow rotatable shaft I4 is can body blank taken along the line 6-6 of Figa hollow fixed shalt I6, which constitutes a part ure 5. of the frame, said shaft being maintained in According to present practice, can bodies are fixed position by a bracket I8 which encompasses@ formed upon a horn by Wrapping the blank about the rearward end of said shaft and is keyed the horn with pivoted wings, or in the case of thereto as shown at 20. cylindrical cans, by rolling the blank on to the The inner end of the rotatable shaft I4 is inhorn with forming rollers. In either case, but tegral with the can body mold support 22 which particularly when theA bodies are formed about is shown in the form of a rotatable disc. 55

ets 24 are secured as by means of bolts 26. As shown in Figure 2, each can body mold comprises a pair of sections 28 and 3D which are pivoted on a pin 32, which is threaded into the periphery of the disc 22, as shown in Figure 1. Each of the mold sections 28 and 30 have operating arms 34 and 36 respectively which extend rearwardly beyond the pivot 32, and the rearward ends of these arms are normally forced toward one another to keep the mold in open condition by a spring 38 which extends between the rearward ends of said arms` The mold sections are moved toward each other along the outer faces of the brackets 24 to close the molds about the can bodies by closing members in the form of rods 39, mounted for radial movement in brackets 48 carried on the rearward face of the disc 22. At their outer ends, the rods carry pointed cam members 4I which are adapted to move between the arms 34 and 36 when the rods are moved outwardly to close the mold sections against the action of the springs 38. The inner ends of the rods carry rollers 42 which move upon a cam track 43 extending around the frame, and the rods are normally pressed inwardly by springs 44.

Referring to Figure 4, the can bodies are received into the molds at station R when the supporting disc is moving in a clockwise direction, and any suitable feeding means 45 is provided at said station for dropping the cans into the open molds. At station R, the roller 42 of a particular closing member is in engagement with the lower portion 46 of the cam track 43, so that the spring 38 of the particular mold retains the mold sections inopen condition for the reception of a can body. Adjacent the upper portion of the machine, the cam track 42 rises to a high portion 48, which forces the particular rod 39 outwardly between the arms 34 and 36 to close the mold sections about the can body which has been received at the station R. The can body is then carried through substantially 180 with the mold in closed condition until just prior to the time when it reaches the discharging station D, at which time the high portion 48 of the cam track 43 ends, and the lower portion 46 is resumed, so that the rod 39 is retracted and the springs 39 again open the mold sections to discharge the can body which has been expanded between the receiving and discharging stations in a manner hereinafter described.

Referring to Figure 1, the forward end of the fixed hollow shaft I6 terminates in a flat valve plate 50 having an arcuate fluid inlet opening 52 in its rearward wall and a fluid vent opening 54 extending entirely through the plate. The inner face of the fixed plate 58 has formed thereon an arcuate channel 55 in communication with the vent opening 54 and forming a part of the vent passage. The relative positions of said openings are disclosed in Figure 4, opening 52 being positioned at the upper side of the plate, while the opening 54 is at the lower side of the plate. The opening 52 is in communication with the interior passage 56 of the fixed shaft I6 by a radial passage 58 in the interior of said plate. The plate 58 with its openings and passages provides a valve member fixed to the frame for cooperation with a movable valve member carried by the can supporting disc, as described below.

Disposed centrally of and on the forward face cf the disc 22 is a circular valve plate 60, provided with a plurality of ports 62, there being one port for each mold mounted on the disc. Ports 62 communicate with radial passages 64 in the plate into which passages are connected pipes 66 which carry the expanding fluid to the can body molds. Each pipe 66 terminates in a nipple 68 which passes through its respective ca n body mold bracket, each nipple having a head 18 disposed within a rubber expanding mandrel 12. The mandrels may be of any shape to conform with the desired form of can body and the interior of mold parts 28 and 30, and in the present instance, the mandrels are of oval contour. The nipples 68 are provided with threaded extensions inside the brackets 24 and onto which are threaded nuts 14, which compress portions of the mandrels through which the nipples extend forming a seal where the pipes 66 enter the mandrels.

The machine is driven either continuously or intermittently from a motor 16, which drives a shaft 18, which shaft in turn rotates a pulley through suitable reduction gear 82. A belt 84 connects pulley 80 with another pulley 86 which is keyed to the rotatable shaft I4, and thus the can supporting disc is rotated through said belt and said shaft.

The fixed shaft I6 has keyed thereto a collar 80 which bears against the rearward face of the pulley 86, and the engaging faces of the collar and pulley are provided with aligned annular grooves carrying ball bearings 92. The fixed shaft I6 also carries an additional collar 84 spaced rearwardly of the collar 94, and between said collars is a relatively heavy spring 96 which biases the fixed shaft I6 rearwardly of the machine, thus holding the rearward face of the xed valve plate 50 in tight engagement with the rotatable plate 60 carried by the disc 22.

The operation of the machine will be apparent from the abov'e description and is briefly as follows. The open ended container bodies are fed into the molds as the same sucessively pass the station R (Fig. 4) in any appropriate manner, and when a particular mold is at station R, it is in open condition by reason of the fact that its roller 42 is on the lower portion 46 of the cam track 43. the spring 38 retaining said mold in open condition. The can body is fed into the mold in proper position so that it will surround the deflated mandrel 12 as shown in Figure 4, with the inner end of the body resting on the outer face of the bracket 24. As the disc 22 rotates the particular mold beyond the station R, the high portion 48 of the cam 43 moves the rod 39 outwardly, thus closing the mold sections around the can body and mandrel, the mold sections pivoting on the pin 32. After the mold sections are closed, the particular opening 62 in the rotatable plate comes into alignment with the opening 52 in the fixed plate 58, as shown in Figure 4, and air or other fluid under pressure flows from any appropriate source connected with passage 56 through passage 58 and pipe 66 to the interior of the mandrel, expanding the same and likewise expanding the walls of the can body against the inner contour of the mold, thus removing all of the panels or flat areas in the body of the can.

Further rotation of the disc 22 brings the mold containing the can body which has been expanded to position where the opening 62 corresponding with this mold section registers with the vent pas sage 55 in the fixed plate 50. At this time, the fluid will be vented from the interior of the mandrel, permitting the same to contract. The particular roller 42 passes to the lower portion 46 of the cam Any acceptable means may be provided for feeding the can bodies to the machine at the station R, and any suitable conveying mechanism may be provided at station D to carry the form bodies away from the machine. The disc 22 may be rotated either continuously or intermittently, depending on the type of feeding mechanism utilized.

After the can bodies are carried away on the conveyor |00, bottom ends are seamed therein, after which the bodies are filled and the top ends applied in the well known manner.

Various modifications of the apparatus and method disclosed herein may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In apparatus of the character described, a movable support, a canibody mold mounted on said support, said moldi/,being adapted to receive a can body therein, an means coordinated with the movement of said support for owing fluid under pressure into the can body when the latter is positioned in said mold to expand the can body against the wall of said mo1d.

2. In apparatus of the character described, a movable support, a can body mold mounted on said support, said mold being adapted to receive he lmovement of said support for flowing fluid under pressure into the can body when the latter is positioned in said mold to expand the can body against the wall of said mold, and for ventpansion operation has been performed.

3. In apparatus of the character described, a movable support, a can body mold mounted on said support, means for moving said support from a station Where a can body 1s received into said mold to a station where charged therefrom, and means coordinated with the movement of said support for flowing fluid under pressure into the can Y same against the wall of said mold after said mold has received the can body at the receiving station.

6. In apparatus of the character described', a movable support, a sectional can body mold mounted on said support, means for moving said a station where a can body is received into said mold surrounding said mandrel to a station where the can body is discharged therefrom, means for opening said mold to receive a can body at the receiving station and to discharge a can body at the discharging station, means for closing said mold about the can body between said stations, and means coordinated with said mold opening and closing means for flowing fluid under pressure into said mandrel to expand the can body against the wall of said mold while said mold is in closed condition, and means for venting the fluid from said mandrel before the can body is discharged from said mold at the discharging station.

10. Iny apparatus of the character described, a source of fluid under pressure, a movable support, a can body mold mounted on said support, means for moving said support from a station where a can body is received into said mold to a station where the can body is discharged therefrom, and valve means on said support coordinated with the movement thereof for flowing fluid from said source into the can body to expand the same against the wall of said mold after said mold has received the can body at the receiving station.

11. In apparatus of the character described, a source of fluid under pressure, a stationary frame, a suport mounted for movement on said frame, a can body mold mounted on said support, means for moving said support from a station where a can body is received into said mold to a station where the can body is discharged therefrom, and cooperating means on said frame and said support coordinated with the movement of the latter for flowing fluid under pressure from said source into the can body to expand the same against the wall of said mold after said mold has received the can body at the receiving station.

12. In apparatus of the character described, a source of fluid under pressure, a stationary frame, a support mounted for movement on said frame, a can body mold mounted on said support, means for moving said support from a station where a can body is received into said mold to a station where the can body is discharged therefrom, and cooperating valve means on said frame and said support coordinated with the movement of the latter for flowing fluid under pressure from said source into the can body to expand the same against ine wall of said mold after said mold has received the can body at the receiving station.

13. In apparatus of the character described, a rotatable disc, a plurality of can body molds mounted on said disc, means for rotating said disc to move said molds successively past a station where can bodies are received in said molds, and past a station where the can bodies are discharged therefrom, and means coordinated with the rotation of said disc for successively flowing fluid under pressure into the can bodies to expand the same against the walls of said molds after said molds have received the can bodies at the receiving station.

14. In apparatus of the characterdescribed, a frame, a disc mounted on said frame for rotation about a'horizontal axis, a plurality of sectional can body molds mounted on said disc adjacent the periphery thereof, means for rotating said disc to move said molds successively past a station at the upper end of.sald frame where can bodies are dropped into said molds, and past a station at the lower end of said frame where the can bodies are dropped from said molds,

means for opening said molds to receive can bodies at the receiving station and to discharge the can bodies at the discharging station, means for closing said molds about the can bodies between the stations, and means coordinated with said mold opening and closing means for successively flowing fluid under pressure into the can bodies to expand the same against the walls of said molds while the latter are in closed condition.

l5. In apparatus ofthe character described, a movable support, a can body mold mounted on said support, an inflatable mandrel within said mold, said mold being adapted to receive a can body therein surrounding said mandrel, and means coordinated with the movement of said support for flowing fluid under pressure into said mandrel to expand the can body against the wall of said mold.

16. In apparatus of the character described, a movable support, a can body mold mounted on said support, an inflatable mandrel within said mold, said mold being adapted to receive a. can body therein surrounding said mandrel, and means coordinated with the movement of said support for flowing fluid under pressure into said mandrel to expand the can body against the wall of said mold, and for venting the fluid from said mandrel alter the expansion operation has been performed.

17. In apparatus a movable support,

of the character described, a plurality of sectional can body molds mounted on said support, means for moving said support to move said molds successvely past a station where can bodies are received into said molds, and past a station where the can bodies are discharged therefrom, means for successively opening said molds to receive can bodies at the receiving station and to discharge said bodies at the discharging station, means for succesively closing s aid molds about the can bodies between said stations, and means coordinated with the movement of said support and said mold opening and closing means for successively flowing fluid under pressure into the can bodies to expand the same against the walls of lsaid molds while the latter are in closed condition.

18. In apparatus of the character described, a movable support, a plurality of sectional can body molds mounted on said support, an inflatable mandrel in each of said molds, means for moving said support from a station where can bodies are successively received in said molds surrounding said mandrels to a station where the can bodies are discharged therefrom, means for successively opening said molds to receive can bodies at the receiving station and to discharge can bodies at the discharging station, means for successively closing said molds about the can bodies between said stations, means coordinated with the movement of said support and said mold opening and closing means for successively flowing fluid under pressure into said mandrel to expand the can bodies against the walls of said molds while said molds are in closed condition, and means for venting the fluid from said mandrels before the can bodies are discharged from said molds at the discharging station.

19. In an apparatus of the character described, a source of fluid under pressure, a stationary frame, a support mounted for movement on said frame, a can body mold mounted on said support, means for moving said support from a station where a can body is received into said mold to a station where a can body is discharged therefrom, a valve plate on said frame, a cooperating valve plate on said support, said valve plates having engaging faces, the face of the valveplate on station, whereby fluid under pressure ilows from said support moving `with respect to the face of said source into the can bodies to expand the same the valve plate on said frame; said frame plate against the walls of said molds, each of said parts having a uid inlet opening in the face thereof being adapted to thereafter successively register which communicates with said source of fluid with said vent opening torelieve the pressure under pressure, said support plate having a port from said can bodies.

l in the face thereof communicating with the in- 21. In an apparatus of the characterdescribed, terior of the can body in said mold, said port and a source of fluid under pressure, a stationary inlet opening being adapted to register during frame, a. rotatableY support, a plurality of secthe movement of said support after said mold tional can body molds mounted on said support, has received the can body at the receiving station, means for rotating said support to move said whereby iiuid under pressure ows from said molds successively past a station where can bodies source into the can body to expand the same are received into said mold, and past a station against the wall of said mold. where the can bodies are discharged therefrom,

20. In an apparatus of the character described, means for successively opening said molds to rea source of iluid under pressure, a stationary ceive can bodies at the receiving station and to frame, a rotatable support, a. plurality of can bow discharge said bodies at the discharging station, molds mounted on said support, means for rotatmeans for successively closing said molds about ing said support to move said molds successively the can bodies between said stations, a valve plate past a station where can bodies are received in onsaid frame, a cooperating valve plate on said said molds, and past a station where the can support,said valve plates having engaging faces, bodies are discharged therefrom, a valve plate the face of the valve plate on said support moving` on. said frame, a cooperating valve plate on said with respect to the face of the valve plate on said support, said valve plates having engaging faces, iframe, said frame plate having a fluid inlet openthe face of-the valve plate on said support moving ing in the face thereof which communicates with with respect to the face of the valve plate on said source of fluid under pressure, said support said frame, said frame plate having a fluid inlet plate having a plurality of ports in the face thereopening in the face thereof which communicates of, each of which communicates respectively with with said source of fluid under pressure, and a the interior of a can body in its mold, each of said vent opening spaced from said inlet opening, said ports being adapted to successively register with support plate having a plurality of ports in the said inlet opening during the movement oi' said face thereof, each of which .communicates resupport when its mold is in closed condition, spectively with the interior of a can body in its whereby duid under pressure flows from said mold, each of said ports being adapted to sucsource into the can bodies to expand the same cessively register with said inlet opening during against the walls of said molds. the movement of said support after its respective mold has received a. canvbody at the receiving FRANK L. DARLDIG. 

